


Whiskey  and Wine

by Nurmengardx



Category: Supernatural
Genre: AU, High School Reunion, M/M, Pure cheese, not very hygienic but who cares, probably a musical number at the end, sex in the bathroom, sue me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:53:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23562619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nurmengardx/pseuds/Nurmengardx
Summary: A dumb reunion story. Dean returns to his high school in the hopes of running across his high school boyfriend. He has one night to make up for his mistakes. One night to win back Castiel.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Comments: 12
Kudos: 61





	1. Chapter One

Chapter One

  
  


Dean pulled up in the lot and gazed up at his old school. It was more or less the same, at least from the outside. Most of the lights were out, but for the ones in the cafeteria and the main entrance.

‘Why do you even want to go to this?’ Sam complained beside him. ‘You hated high school.’

‘Are you kidding? I heard Rhonda Hurley’s going to this thing, I want to see if she’s still that hot. Might be looking at a MILF situation here, Sammy.’

Dean rolled his eyes and got out of the car, the door squeaking as he did so, and he made a mental note to oil it once they were back home.

‘This is stupid,’ Sam continued, once he was out of the car himself. ‘So you want to go to this crap for whatever reason, why do you have to drag me into it?’

‘Trust me, you’re not gonna want to miss this,’ Dean laughed.

‘Sure about that?’

Dean just ignored him, and walked across the parking lot.

There were a lot of people milling around in the entrance, and Dean didn’t recognise any of them. He did, however, recognise the reception, right down to the rough, blue carpets, and the polished wooden bench. He’d spent a lot of time on that very bench, waiting for the principal to come and get him.

The frames on the wall were still the same, though the pictures inside had changed, and the red and white hangings still draped over the doorway.

‘Heh, go Bobcats, am I right?’ Dean laughed.

Sam just tutted, unimpressed.

Dean signed the register on the reception desk, and stuck on his nametag. ‘Look at that, now everyone will know who I am,’ he grinned.

‘I think everyone will know who you are, anyway,’ said Sam.

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘I’m just saying, I bet you there is not one person here who does not remember Dean Winchester.’

Dean grinned. ‘Yeah, damn right.’

They walked through to the other side of the reception and out through the double doors. Another hallway ran along the other side of the door, this one slightly less lit, and there were frames upon frames of previous classes lining the walls.

‘Hey, there we are,’ Dean laughed, pointing at the photo of his graduating class.

Sam squinted at it, then gave Dean a suspicious look. ‘So, let me get this straight, you drove all the way here, just because you wanted to see Rhonda Hurley?’

Dean glanced at him. ‘Yeah, why?’ he said, not entirely convincingly.

Sam looked back at the photo, staring past the fuzzy quality to find someone in particular. ‘Are you sure you’re not here because you want to see if Cas will come?’

Dean scoffed loudly. ‘No!’

Sam just raised his eyebrows.

‘ _No_!’ Dean insisted again. ‘He’s not coming to this, come on.’ Dean walked away, and back out into the air, towards the next block.

‘Dean, you know it’s a bad idea, right? Things didn’t exactly end well with you guys.’

‘I’m aware, thanks, Sam.’

He led the way across the courtyard to another set of double doors. On the inside, opposite the doors, stood the trophy cabinet. Some of the shelves were still bare, but the school had acquired a few more trophies since Dean had left.

The corridor wrapped around to the left, the walls painted green, and their shoes tapped on the hard floor, that was somehow an uglier green than the walls.

‘Always wondered why they painted these green,’ Dean mused, staring at the walls, and up at the large TV mounted in the corner. It was turned off, and it hadn’t been there before, but Dean assumed it was there for school announcements, rather than the crackly speakers that had been stuck up there before.

The doors to the cafeteria were the only ones in the school still made of wood, rather than plastic, and they opened out into the corner of the room.

Almost everyone was inside by then, crowding around and chattering loudly. The room had been decorated in tacky ribbons, and hung with the school logo.

‘Dude, why didn’t you tell me we had to dress up?’ Sam said uncomfortably, taking in the suits and dresses around the room.

They themselves were wearing their regular jeans and shirts, and Sam self-consciously tugged his jacket closed, though it didn’t help much.

‘Because who cares?’ Dean said, eyeing up the temporary bar that had been set up on the other side of the room.

All the chairs had been stacked up around three edges of the room, and a band were occupying the stage on the fourth wall.

Dean went down the steps, onto the wooden floor, and walked directly over to the bar, where he got them both a bottle of beer. ‘Cheers!’ he said, tapping his bottle to Sam’s.

‘Dean, stop,’ Sam said. ‘How stupid do you think I am?’

Dean took a swig of his beer. ‘You don’t want me to answer that.’

‘You want him to be here, don’t you?’

Dean scowled. ‘Now that really is stupid.’ He walked away, but Sam followed.

‘Did you really think I was gonna fall for that Rhonda Hurley crap?’

‘Sam-’

‘Don’t “Sam” me. What are you thinking?’

‘I’m not thinking anything. I’m just here to have a good time, and catch up with everybody.’

‘Really? So you used your plus one to bring your brother, instead of a date, because you didn’t really want people to know you’re single?’

‘That - that’s ridiculous-’

‘You can’t go near him, Dean,’ Sam said. ‘Not after what you did to him.’

Dean clenched his jaw, anger rising in his stomach. ‘You shut up about that, okay? I’m gonna go mingle, or whatever you do at these things.’ Dean backed away again. ‘He’s not coming to this thing anyway, why would he?’

Sam raised his hands. ‘Dean-’

‘Last I heard, he was some fancy doctor in New York, or something, there’s no way he’s here.’

‘No, Dean, behind you-’

Dean turned, and walked right into someone, knocking their wine out of their hand and all over their white shirt. He looked up, and was confronted by a familiar set of blue eyes, and dark messy hair. His voice caught in his throat, and he froze in place, watching the wine stain spread. ‘Cas,’ he said hoarsely.

Cas sighed, looking down at his shirt. ‘Dean Winchester,’ he said flatly. ‘Still causing trouble, I see.’

Dean was mortified, but even after all this time, Cas’s low, rumbling voice was music to his ears. His stomach squirmed, and he tingled all over. He opened his mouth to apologise, but nothing came out.

‘Luckily, I always keep a spare in my car,’ Cas muttered, then walked off, out of the wooden cafeteria doors.

Dean stared dumbly after him until he heard Sam laugh.

‘Well, that was smooth,’ Sam sniggered.

Dean looked at him, then back at the door Cas had left through.

‘Don’t do it,’ Sam said, following his gaze.

Dean looked at Sam again, biting his lip.

‘Do not go after him, Dean.’

Dean shifted from one foot to the other, but he couldn’t stop himself. Now that he knew Cas was here, Dean needed to see him again.

‘No, Dean-’ But Sam couldn’t stop him.

Dean strode across the cafeteria, out of the doors, and back outside. He saw Cas taking the shortcut between the blocks, so he wouldn’t have to go back through the reception to get to his car. Dean took a deep breath through his nose. ‘I must be out of my mind,’ he muttered, then followed Cas into the parking lot.

Cas was at a small, blue car, digging through the trunk.

Dean eyed it distastefully. ‘ _This_ is your car?’

Cas didn’t respond, and Dean mentally kicked himself.

They both stood in silence for a moment, then Cas took off his overcoat, his jacket, and his tie, and passed them to Dean.

Dean just held them, unable to move from the spot he was standing in, as Cas stripped off his shirt. He couldn’t tear his eyes away. The Cas he remembered was beautiful. Dean would even go so far as to say enchanting, though not within anyone’s earshot. The Cas in front of him now was even moreso. He hadn’t thought it was possible, but here he was. Dean’s eyes wandered up and down Cas’s muscled, tanned torso, and he swallowed. Dean cleared his throat and licked his lips. ‘What - what are you doing here?’ he asked.

Cas gave him a sharp look, and Dean’s knees might as well have been made of jelly.

‘What are _you_ doing here?’ Cas countered, throwing the accusation at Dean. He yanked a fresh shirt from the trunk and threw it around his shoulders. ‘I take it you followed me out here for a reason.’

‘I - um - I don’t really know...’ Dean’s voice trailed off as he watched Cas’s fingers deftly button up his shirt.

Cas then took his clothes back from Dean, throwing his coat into the trunk before slamming it closed. 

‘Listen, Cas, I-’

‘Chicago,’ Cas interrupted, putting his jacket back on.

‘What?’

‘I work in Chicago. Not New York.’

‘Oh.’ Dean just stood awkwardly.

Cas locked his car and turned away, and Dean finally found the muscles in his legs.

‘Cas, wait,’ Dean said, jogging after him.

‘What do you want, Dean?’ Cas demanded, rounding on him.

Dean thought he might burst into flame from the furious glare Cas gave him. ‘I - I -’ Dean sighed, and his shoulders slumped. ‘I wanted to tell you I’m sorry.’

Cas stared at him incredulously, and looked up at the sky. ‘You’re sorry?’ he said, with a short, bitter laugh.

‘I am, Cas. I’m _so_ sorry.’

Cas put his hands on his hips. ‘I don’t care if you’re sorry. Leave me alone.’ He turned away again, but Dean ran around to stand in front of him.

‘Hold on a sec,’ he said. ‘You never gave me a chance to explain.’

‘You didn’t deserve one,’ Cas growled.

Dean winced. ‘You’re still mad.’

Cas narrowed his eyes. ‘Of course I am,’ he said, then looked down at the floor. ‘You broke my heart.’

‘I know I did,’ Dean said quietly. ‘But you know how everything was with my dad, you know what he was like. He wanted me to be…’ Dean raised his hands, looking for the words. ‘I was just confused, and I didn’t know what to do. Obviously I made the wrong decision.’

‘Obviously.’

Dean sighed, and stepped closer to Cas. ‘If it makes you feel any better, he’s dead now.’

‘How is that supposed to make me feel better?’

Dean pinched the bridge of his nose. ‘I’m just - I’m trying to explain here, okay? I’m not making excuses, I just want you to understand.’

Cas didn’t say anything, but gestured for Dean to continue.

Dean let out a breath. ‘Wow, okay, I wasn’t really planning on doing this today, but here goes.’ He rubbed the back of his head, shifting uncomfortable under Cas’s razor sharp glare. ‘First off, I never wanted to hurt you. For what it’s worth, you were one of the better things going on in my life at the time.’

Cas didn’t move, or respond.

‘My dad found out about us, and let’s just say he - he wasn’t happy about it.’ Dean shivered, the places the bruises had been still itched when he thought about them. ‘I didn’t want him to be mad at me again… It was stupid, I know that, and I’m sorry. I was scared, and upset, and I handled it terribly.’ Dean stopped and stared at Cas, watching as he absorbed the information. It had been a long time since he’d let this much out at once, but something about Cas always made him want to lay his heart right out there, for Cas to do whatever he wanted with it.

Cas shook his head. ‘What do you want from me, Dean? Do you want me to forgive you?’

Dean shrugged. ‘Only if you think I deserve it. I don’t think I do, but it’s not up to me, is it?’

‘No, it isn’t,’ Cas said harshly.

Dean shuffled slightly closer again, but this time, Cas took a long step backwards, and folded his arms, shaking his head. ‘Even if I could - if I could get past all that…’ Cas hesitated. ‘Did it have to be Anna?’

Dean’s stomach twisted. He could see all the history, the bitterness and the anger behind the deep blue of Cas’s eyes, but underneath that, there was still hurt, and the nights Cas had spent crying into his pillow. He had no words, nothing to say to counter it, and this time when Cas walked away, Dean let him.

Cas disappeared back inside the building, but Dean remained where he was in the parking lot, deflated. Of course he hadn’t expected anything from Cas. He didn’t know what he expected exactly, but so far it wasn’t going well.

Dean sighed, then went back inside, thirsty for something a little stronger than beer.

  
  
  



	2. Chapter Two

Dean sidled back into the cafeteria, and found Sam still standing by the bar. Dean grabbed the bottle Sam was just about to drink from his hands, and threw it into the trash. 

'Hey!' Sam protested. 

'No more of that, you're driving us home,' Dean said, ordering a glass of whiskey from the bartender. 

'So, let me get this straight, you drag me to this thing, you ignore me when I tell you not to go talk to Cas, and now I can't even have a beer?' 

'Yep.' 

Sam groaned. 'I hate this.' 

'Don't care.' Dean went to grab his fresh drink, but someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around to see who it was, but all he saw was a blur of red, and a hand that slapped him across the face. 

A gasp ran around the room, and silence fell.

Dean put a hand to his face, eyes watering. ‘Hi, Charlie,’ he muttered.

‘What the hell do you think you’re doing here?’ she demanded, her red hair fanning her shoulders. She tossed it back, furious.

‘Excuse me, I was invited,’ Dean grimaced.

‘Why’d you come?’

Dean shrugged. ‘I came to see the old crowd,’ he said noncommittally.

‘Don’t bullshit me, Dean Winchester. You came to see Cas.’

Dean stared at her blazing expression. ‘I didn’t know he’d be here,’ he mumbled. 

‘That’s crap.’

‘Well-’

‘Are you out of your mind?’ Charlie continued, glaring at him. ‘What’s wrong with you?’

‘Oh, don’t go there,’ Sam sniggered. 

‘Nothing’s wrong with me, Charlie, I just…’

‘You just what? Do you know what you did to him?’

Irritation stirred within Dean. ‘Yeah, I got a pretty solid idea,’ he said sourly. 

‘Do you? Really? ‘Cause, let me tell you, asshole, it wasn’t you that was there to pick up the pieces-’

‘Charlie,’ Cas interrupted, appearing at her side, studiously avoiding Dean’s eyes. ‘Please, people are staring.’

‘Let them stare,’ Charlie snarled. ‘They’ll catch a pretty good show watching me kick Dean’s ass.’ She raised her hand again, and Dean braced himself, but Cas caught her arm and dragged her away.

Once she was gone, there was a ripple of murmuring, then the loud chatting resumed, along with the band playing generic, jazzy tunes.

Dean sighed, swiping a hand over his face.

‘Wow, you’re right, I didn’t want to miss that,’ Sam snorted.

Dean grabbed his drink and pounded it, sucking air through his teeth and shuddering. He ordered another, while Sam watched him with one eyebrow raised. 

‘You know, as far as bad ideas go-’

‘Shut up, Sam.’ 

Dean held his cold glass to his stinging cheek for a moment. Then he sipped his drink a little slower, ignoring all the dirty looks being thrown at him. He was used to being the centre of attention, especially with these people, but this was less than friendly. He stared through the crowd until his gaze landed on Cas on the other side of the room, talking quietly with Charlie.

Dean watched his face move through emotions, while Charlie gestured wildly, no doubt reminding Cas why it was a terrible idea to come to this thing. Some people found Cas hard to read, but even after all this time, Dean knew what every twitch of Cas’s eyebrows meant, every crease in his forehead, every shuffle of his feet. He could tell that Cas knew he was watching, by the way he looked everywhere but at Dean. Dean took another sip, and Cas finally, briefly, made eye contact. Dean expected to see the sadness and the irritation, even the eyes flickering around the room that meant uncertainty. What he didn’t expect to see, was the small way Cas bit the inside of his lip when he caught Dean’s eye. 

‘Hmm.’ Dean narrowed his eyes slightly and saw Cas’s tongue quickly dart out to wet his lips before he looked away.

‘What?’ Sam asked, then saw what he was looking at. ‘Oh, come on, Dean, haven’t you done enough tonight?’

Dean just took another sip of his whiskey. ‘Maybe he wants somethin’...’

‘What, you think got a chance with him, or something? Just leave the poor guy alone, won’t you?’

Dean looked up at Sam’s earnest expression. 

‘Look, I’m not holding anything against you, I know what Dad was like, but you messed up, man. There’s no changing that. Let’s just go, before we ruin everyone’s night even more.’

Dean sipped at his drink, looking back at Cas again. Saying he’d messed up was an understatement, and he remembered the hollow expression on Cas’s face. He’d worn it for months, since the afternoon he’d caught Dean with Anna. Dean’s heart twisted, remembering the small bunch of wild flowers and the bag of takeout Cas dropped on the floor when he saw them. Gifts to celebrate Dean miraculously earning the grades to graduate. Dean closed his eyes on the memory and shook his head. ‘Yeah, maybe you’re right,’ he said to Sam. ‘Let’s go.’ He drained his whiskey, and turned on his heel, following Sam across the room.

It was short-lived as far as reunions went, but Dean couldn’t say he’d missed the perpetual stale food smell that permeated the cafeteria, and the alcohol mixing with it from the temporary bar didn’t do it any favours. ‘I can practically feel the old gum under the tables anyway,’ Dean added. 

Sam reached the top of the short flight of steps in the corner, and Dean put his foot on the bottom step. 

‘Where are you going?’

Sam and Dean both started and turned, to find Cas had caught up to them.

Dean let out a long breath. ‘I figure I’ve outstayed my welcome,’ he said, putting his fingers to the spot Charlie had slapped him. ‘We’re going now, so you can tell Charlie she doesn’t need to bust out the torches and pitchforks.’

Cas tilted his head, staring at Dean.

Dean held his breath, knowing that this particular head tilt meant that Cas was curious about something, so he waited for Cas to talk.

Cas stepped closer, eyes slowly roving over Dean. ‘You can’t leave yet,’ he said.

Dean raised his eyebrows. ‘Oh?’

‘I believe you owe me a drink.’

Dean stared at him, and for the first time in a long time, he saw a spark in Cas’s eyes. Dean smiled. ‘Right you are.’

Cas’s lips twitched, almost a smirk, and went over to the bar.

Dean grinned up at Sam.

‘Well, I’ll be damned,’ Sam muttered, shaking his head.

Dean went after Cas, leaving Sam to hover nearby, and ordered fresh drinks. Another whiskey for him, a glass of red for Cas.

‘Isn’t that your third?’ Cas asked softly.

Dean suppressed a chuckle. So Cas had been watching him too. ‘I’ve always had a high tolerance.’ 

‘I recall.’

Cas was avoiding looking at him again, shuffling awkwardly. 

Dean moved so he was standing at Cas’s side, not looking directly at him. ‘So, Chicago?’

Cas nodded. ‘Chicago.’

‘You know, I’m not far outta Chicago,’ Dean said slowly, glancing at Cas to gauge his reaction. He was rewarded with a surprised inhale.

‘You’re not still in Sioux Falls?’

‘Nah. Moved to Lafayette a while back.’

‘What for?’

‘I run a little classic car dealership, no biggie.’ Dean let pride colour his voice, and he knew Cas could hear it. ‘What about you? You’re a doctor?’

‘Cardiologist.’

Dean whistled. ‘Colour me impressed.’

Cas smiled over the rim of his glass.

Dean decided to test his luck. ‘Tell me, I’m sure you’ve got a hell of a lot more important things to be doing than coming to this,’ he said, gesturing around with his glass, using the movement to slide slightly closer to Cas. ‘Why’d you come?’

Cas took a deep gulp of his drink. ‘I didn’t think you would show up, but…’

‘But?’

‘A part of me wanted to see if you did.’

Dean pushed himself away from the bar, slowly walking around to Cas’s other side. ‘Yeah… same here.’

Cas tracked his movement, lifting his chin slightly. ‘You… wanted to see me?’

Dean considered his response. ‘Yeah.’

‘You think about me?’ Cas said, moving to stand in front of Dean.

Dean sipped his whiskey. ‘Of course I do,’ he said softly.

‘Oh.’

Dean loved it when he caught Cas off guard, the way his eyes widened ever so slightly, and the way his lips parted.

Cas stepped backwards, further into the crowd and Dean followed him.

Sam took their place, and was soon joined by Charlie. 

‘What am I looking at?’ she said to Sam, wrinkling her nose at Cas and Dean.

‘What, you’ve never seen their circle dance before?’ Sam chuckled.

‘Their what?’

Sam gestured at them. ‘Just before they started going out, they did this, where they sorta circle around each other. It’s like a mating dance, it’s weird.’

‘Ew,’ Charlie frowned. She watched them for a while, walking around, slowly getting closer and closer to each other. ‘Okay, so how do we stop their weird - whatever?’ Charlie asked.

Sam sighed. ‘We don’t.’

Charlie blinked. ‘No, but we have to.’

‘Why?’

Charlie rolled her eyes. ‘Come on, Sam, you really think this is going to end well?'

Sam shrugged. 'It could.' 

Charlie scowled at him. 'Yeah, 'cause it went so well last time.' 

Sam sighed again. 'I get it. Cas is your friend, but maybe they could make each other happy.' 

Charlie grabbed her own drink, swallowing some angrily. 'I don't care. What he did was…' 

'Oh yeah, it was awful, I'm not defending it. I am inclined to blame some of it on the concussion, though.' 

Charlie frowned. 'Concussion?' 

Sam blinked. 'Cas never told you?' 

'Told me what?' 

'Huh.' Sam looked over at Cas thoughtfully. 'Well, our dad found out about them, and let's just say he was... less than accepting.' Sam shifted from one foot to the other, wincing at the memory of Dean’s bruised and bloody face. ‘He beat Dean pretty bad.’

‘I had no idea,’ Charlie gasped. ‘Why wouldn’t Cas tell me that?’

Sam breathed deeply, watching Cas and Dean. They had their hands on each other now, pretending to actually dance to the music, though neither of them had much rhythm. ‘I don’t know Cas as well as you do,’ Sam said slowly, ‘but if I had to guess, I’d say he blames himself for outing Dean in the first place.’

‘ _What?’_

‘It was an accident,’ Sam said hurriedly. ‘He came over when our dad was supposed to be out hunting. It sucked pretty much all around.’

Charlie fell silent while she absorbed the information. ‘It still doesn’t excuse him.’

‘Never said it did,’ Sam shrugged. ‘But you don’t need to be so hard on him, trust me, he’s hard enough on himself.’

‘Just so we’re clear, I’m not sorry I slapped him.’

‘Don’t worry, he won’t hold it against you,’ Sam laughed. ‘He probably still thinks he deserves it.’

They both fell silent again. Neither of them were in this graduating class, and nobody else in the room was familiar, so they were forced to watch Cas and Dean circling each other. He wanted Dean to be happy more than anything, but the mistakes he made hung over him like a heavy shadow, holding him back whenever he even came close.

‘Do you think Cas could forgive him?’ Sam asked quietly.

Charlie sighed sadly. ‘That was never the problem,’ she told him. ‘He forgave Dean a long time ago. _I_ didn’t, but whatever.’

‘He did?’

Charlie nodded. ‘He understood Dean’s reasons, I guess, even if it hurt him.’

‘Makes sense,’ said Sam. ‘He always understood Dean better than anyone.’

Charlie hesitated. ‘I don’t know, Sam, I really don’t think this is a good idea.’

‘You want to go over there and stop them?’ Sam chuckled. ‘It’s not really your choice to make, is it?’

‘Well, no, but-’

‘He never wanted to hurt Cas,’ Sam said, cutting her off. ‘I know, I know, intentions don’t matter. He did what he did. We all know that.’ Sam looked down at Charlie’s concerned expression. ‘They’re adults, Charlie, they can make their own decisions. They’ve clearly been thinking about each other for a long time, and there’s nothing either of us can do to change that.’

Sam watched some more. Most of the other people were giving them a wide swath of space. As far as he could tell, they were barely even talking, just taking the time to examine one another, feeling out what was still familiar, and what was new.

Cas slowly ran his hand up Dean’s arm, but when they saw him visibly squeeze, Charlie shook her head and pushed herself away from the bar. ‘I can’t.’ 

She strode over to them and grabbed Cas’s shoulder. ‘Hey, can I talk to you?’ she said, not waiting for an answer before pulling him away from Dean.

Dean felt oddly cold once Cas was gone, and wandered back to the bar, where Sam was still standing. 

Sam looked at him expectantly, but Dean ignored him in favour of ordering another drink.

‘Don’t you think you’ve had enough?’ Sam snorted.

‘It’s been a weird night,’ Dean shrugged. 

‘So, how’d it go?’ Sam prompted. 

‘I don’t know,’ Dean said. ‘I hope it went well.’

‘Oh yeah?’

Dean turned around, leaning against the bar. ‘I want him back, Sam,’ Dean finally admitted. ‘God help me, I want him back.’ Dean wasn’t entirely sure it was a good idea himself, but he could no longer ignore the white hot churning in his stomach, or how his heart ached whenever he looked Cas in the eye. All he could do was hope he deserved a second chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone welcome back, thanks to elainapapaya for the comment!  
> A bit more expositional than I would usually like but ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯. See you again soon!


	3. Chapter Three

Dean’s heart was racing as he gulped down some of his fourth whiskey.

‘All right, what’s the plan?’ Sam asked.

‘What?’

‘You want Cas, so what are you gonna do about it?’

Dean shrugged. ‘Nothing yet. He might not want it.’

Sam rolled his eyes. ‘Do not do this to me again, it sucked enough the first time. If you’re not going to nut up and do something, then forget it and let me take you back to the motel.’

‘I don’t want to scare him off, he’s been looking ready to bolt since he saw me.’

‘Whatever. Do it, don’t do it, just make a decision, man.’

Dean nodded, and got ready to go over to Cas again, but he couldn’t see Cas or Charlie anywhere in the room. He craned his neck, trying to see where he had gone, but his vision was suddenly filled by a head of dry, blonde hair, and a wide, sparkly smile.

‘Hey, Dean,’ the woman said, twirling a strand of hair in her fingers.

Dean blinked, not recognising her for a moment. ‘Rhonda!’ he said, surprised as he realised who it was.

Sam choked on his glass of water behind Dean.

‘I was hoping to see you,’ she said, standing as close to him as possible, without actually touching him.

Dean leaned away from her. ‘Uh, really?’

‘Well sure, we had some pretty fun times, didn’t we?’

Dean stammered incoherently. She was hopefully watching him, but all he could think about was Cas, and the red tint of his lips after sipping on his wine. He cleared his throat, flustered under the gaze of both Rhonda and Sam. ‘I - uh - I need some air.’ He pushed past both of them, through the crowd of people, and outside into the deserted, green-walled, square patch between the cafeteria and more hallways.

Dean let out a breath, releasing the constriction from being surrounded by so many people, then saw Cas standing opposite him, leaning against the wall, next to an archway that led down another long corridor. ‘Oh,’ Dean said, stepping over him. ‘Sorry, I’m not stalking you or anything, I didn’t know you were out here.’

Cas gave him a searching look.

‘Are.. you okay?’ Dean asked.

Cas pressed his lips together and sighed. His eyes swept the walls. ‘This is the science building,’ he said eventually.

‘...Right?’

‘Experiments go wrong sometimes, chemicals leak from the rooms, or the students will remove things from their proper place…’ Cas met his gaze, and something about the low light, or the way Cas looked at him made the colour more intense. ‘That’s why the walls are green,’ he said. ‘It’s least likely to show anything unsavoury, and it’s easiest to clean.’

‘Cas…’ Dean trod carefully, remembering Cas’s tendency to spout random facts when he was nervous.

Cas slid around the wall and through the archway to the other side, so anyone coming out of the cafeteria wouldn’t be able to see them. ‘I’m uncertain,’ he mumbled. ‘Charlie doesn’t think we should…’

‘That’s fair,’ Dean said, looking at his feet. He started slightly, as Cas took his hand with both of his.

‘I understand,’ Cas said earnestly. ‘It - it doesn’t make it hurt any less, but I understand. What your father did to you… I’m sorry.’

Dean could hardly believe his ears. ‘It’s not your fault,’ he murmured. His hand was tingling from Cas’s hands on his, so Dean chanced a touch of his own, and caressed Cas’s cheek with a finger. ‘It was bound to happen sooner or later, he was a mean guy, all he really needed was an excuse.’

‘I wish I hadn’t been the one to give it to him.’

Dean sighed. ‘We all got things we wish didn’t happen.’ He found himself standing over Cas, one hand on the wall, as though Cas was now his centre of gravity, and he was being tugged ever closer.

‘How do I still feel this after all this time?’ Cas murmured.

Dean shook his head. ‘I don’t know.’

‘Perhaps we’re but victims of circumstance…’

Dean leaned in, but stopped barely more than an inch from Cas’s lips. He could hear Cas’s breath, slightly ragged from his anticipation, and his proximity to Dean.

‘Is this what you want?’ Cas whispered.

Dean closed his eyes briefly and swallowed. ‘This ain’t about me,’ he said, his voice low and husky. ‘If you want me, you got me… Question is, what do _you_ want?’ Dean waited, raking his eyes over Cas’s face. He longed to close the gap, but he held himself back, his heart thumping so hard, he couldn’t hear much else.

He watched Cas consider it, then Cas’s eyes flicked down to his lips, and his heart soared.

Cas softly, hesitantly, pressed his lips to Dean’s.

Dean froze for a moment, then pressed Cas’s back against the wall, returning the kiss fiercely. Dean then moved away slightly, worried that he’d been too vigorous, but Cas pulled him back, parting Dean’s lips, and he tasted the wine on Cas’s tongue. He'd almost forgotten how good Cas’s kisses were, and thrills shot through him. He never thought he’d be lucky enough to experience this again.

'Oh,' Dean let out in surprise, when Cas gripped his hips and yanked him closer, so that Dean's whole body was pressed against him.

This he wasn't used to. The Cas he'd known was hesitant, shy, slow to take a step forward. He still saw that now, but the hands creeping up his shirt showed him that Cas had long since passed it. Dean pulled away again, this time not allowing Cas’s fingers to keep hold of him.

Cas gave him a questioning look.

'You want to do this out in the hall?' Dean murmured, and Cas blushed, seemingly having forgotten where they were. Dean looked around, and spotted the door to the bathroom half way down the corridor. There was another one on the other side of the cafeteria that Dean had seen people using, so decided that this one would most likely be empty. He led Cas over to it and cautiously pushed the door open. None of the lights were on, there was no one inside, and once Dean was satisfied that no one was in any of the cubicles, he lifted Cas up and sat him on the counter, carefully avoiding the sinks and faucets. Cas was on him in a heartbeat, grabbing the back of his neck and pulling Dean back down to his mouth.

Dean gripped the edge of the counter to keep himself balanced. ‘This brings back some memories,’ he murmured with a smile.

Cas didn’t say anything, but responded by hooking his legs around Dean.

Dean grazed his lips along Cas’s stubbled Jaw. ‘Do you remember our first time, Cas?’ he whispered, lightly sucking Cas’s earlobe.

'How could I forget?' Cas said, his voice taking on a breathy quality. 'It was very awkward.'

Dean snorted softly, loosening Cas’s tie for him. 'How 'bout I make up for that now?' He ran a hand up Cas’s inner thigh, gently squeezing. Dean was pleased to find that Cas was wearing relatively thin, cheap pants that he could feel everything through.

He was rewarded with a slight sigh, and a tighter grip on his shoulders.

Dean watched a pink flush spread across Cas’s cheeks, and something under Cas’s shirt caught his eye, now that it had been dislodged a little. He pulled aside Cas’s collar and found a delicate feather tattooed just underneath his collarbone. 'That's new,' he murmured, pressing a kiss to it.

Cas titled Dean's chin back up to meet his lips. His kisses were more intense now, and his hands ran all over Dean's body, splaying across his chest and moving down his stomach. Cas’s fingers reached his belt and fumbled with the buckle, but Dean swept him away. Admittedly, his jeans were now uncomfortably tight, but this wasn't about him, and he wanted to show Cas that.

He drew Cas closer, his hands at Cas’s back, and rolled his hips into Cas’s. A soft moan brushed past his ear, and he lifted Cas up in one swift motion.

Cas’s kissing was barely interrupted, his thighs tightening around Dean as he was carried to the cubicle furthest from the entrance.

Dean kicked the door open, dropped Cas to his feet and pushed him up against the door on the other side, sliding the lock closed.

Cas’s hands resumed their place at Dean's neck, occasionally straying into his hair.

Dean let his hands fall down Cas’s body, and pull out his tucked-in shirt. Then Dean dropped to his knees, kissing all the way along Cas’s waistband before carefully unbuttoning his pants. He slid them down past Cas’s hips, and slipped his fingers into Cas’s underwear, but hesitated, waiting for permission.

Cas gently caressed his face, lifting his chin up.

Dean watched Cas’s chest rapidly rising and falling, and pressed his cheek against Cas’s stomach, listening to Cas's breath hitching, feeling him tremble in anticipation. Then, Cas tilted his hips in just the way that Dean was waiting for, and he carefully, deliberately, pulled Cas's white boxers down over his thighs.

Dean took a moment to admire Cas’s muscled legs, until he heard a sound of impatience. His lips twitched in a slight smile, before he took Cas into his mouth, swirling his tongue and gripping the back of Cas’s thighs tightly.

Cas’s head thumped against the door and he gasped, grabbing a handful of Dean's hair.

Dean went slowly at first, almost teasing Cas. He could feel Cas rocking slightly, but he could tell that Cas was holding back. He willed Cas to go further, to take back some of what he'd lost when Dean hurt him, but when he wouldn't, Dean moved his hands back up to Cas’s hips, encouraging them more powerfully back and forth, taking him deeper. He heard a muffled moan, and glanced up to see Cas biting his own hand to keep from making noise. He wanted Cas to relax, lose control a little, and by the haphazard way Cas began to move, Dean thought it was working, until the bathroom door squeaked open and both of them froze.

There were footsteps, and Dean slowly, quietly, stood up.

'Dean, you in here?' Sam called.

Dean bit his lip. He knew he couldn't simply stay quiet; Sam wouldn't be satisfied until he'd checked all the cubicles. 'Sam?' he answered back, his voice slightly hoarse. He slid an arm around Cas, who, to his credit, was remarkably quiet for someone in his position. Dean ran his thumb over Cas’s lips.

'What are you doing?' Sam asked, from the other side of the bathroom.

'Thought that was kinda obvious,' Dean said, nuzzling Cas behind the ear. 'What do you want?'

'Have you seen Cas? Charlie's looking for him.'

Dean looked down at him, and blinked in surprise, as he saw Cas lower his arm and start slowly stroking himself, not breaking eye contact. A lot bolder than Dean remembered. 'Uh, not from in here,' Dean called to Sam. 'Listen, Sam, I can't go with an audience, do you mind?' He heard Sam grumble, then footsteps retreating, and the door squeaking as it opened and closed again.

The moment Sam was gone, Dean moved Cas’s hand out of the way. 'Why don't you let me do that?' he murmured, taking hold of Cas, and running his hand up and down Cas’s length.

Cas licked his lips, gazing at Dean, but he didn't take his hand away. Instead, he grabbed Dean's wrist, showing Dean exactly what to do and what he wanted.

Dean smiled, happy for Cas to guide him. Here was the Cas he was hoping to see, not the one broken by Dean's own actions.

Cas gripped Dean's shirt with his free hand, panting hard.

Dean listened closely, aware of the noise Cas was now making, but he knew that even if someone walked in, he wouldn't stop, nor would Cas even notice. It was too late for that now. He still had one arm around Cas, and used it to pull him in closer. Dean wanted to feel the heat, and Cas’s body writhing beneath his fingers.

The pattern of Cas’s breathing changed, and Dean knew he was close. The hand that was bunching Dean's shirt turned white.

Cas groaned, then gasped, and stammered, 'Dean-'

Dean covered Cas’s mouth with his just as Cas’s whole body shuddered, then tightened, and he spilled out over Dean's hand.

Cas went limp, and lay his head on Dean's shoulder, Dean's arm keeping him up.

Dean let him rest there for a moment, to recover and catch his breath. He gently rubbed Cas’s back, then reached behind him for some tissue. He passed it to Cas, and slipped out of the cubicle, so Cas would have some space to clean himself up.

Dean slowly scrubbed his hands at the sink, and splashed his face with cold water, in an attempt to calm the heat and throbbing throughout his body. He sighed and leaned on the counter with his elbows, rubbing the back of his neck.

Cas came out of the cubicle, his shirt tucked in and tie tightened. The only indication that anything had happened was the slightly dazed look on his face.

Neither of them spoke. Cas just washed his hands.

Dean opened his mouth, but stopped himself. Cas should speak first, he decided. But Cas didn't say a word, the only sounds were water dripping down the sink, and the hubbub of voices from the distant cafeteria.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back everyone! Thanks to VegasGranny and giscindy for the comments! 
> 
> Good news, I found a draft of the next chapter for Heart Sense that I lost, so I might be able to unstick myself with it. We'll see.
> 
> Anyway, a few friends of mine have informed me that my sex scenes are awful. I'm trying to improve my skills, so feel free to roast.
> 
> Thanks again for reading, and I'll see you again next time!


	4. Chapter Four

Dean took a long, cleansing breath, then flashed Cas a smile, but Cas still didn’t say anything. He just gave Dean a sharp look, and narrowed his eyes. He tilted his head and folded his arms, examining Dean’s face.

‘Why aren’t you saying anything?’ Cas asked eventually.

Dean shrugged. ‘I ain’t got anything worth sayin’,’ he murmured. ‘I’d rather hear you.’ Then, to his horror, Cas’s face twisted back to bitterness and anger.

Cas shook his head. ‘Is that really what you think?’

‘What - what do you mean?’

Cas ran a hand through his hair. ‘Dean, this is what got us here in the first place,’ he said exasperatedly. ‘You put everyone’s feelings before your own, you try and fit yourself into boxes expected of you, and I just-’ Cas smashed a fist into the counter. ‘I need a drink,’ he growled, storming from the room.

‘No, Cas, wait,’ Dean followed him out, and Cas rounded on him outside.

‘What was this, just a way for you to soothe your guilt?’ he demanded. ‘Have you really learned nothing?’

‘Cas, I really don’t know what you’re talking about,’ Dean said, with a short, nervous laugh.

Cas pinched the bridge of his nose. ‘I don’t believe this.’

By this point, they were beginning to attract the attention of the people inside the cafeteria.

‘I never needed you to prioritise my feelings,’ he said. ‘I needed you to prioritise _yours._ You think that if you can pay enough attention, or do exactly the right things, then you can somehow earn affection, and you hold yourself to such impossible standards.’ Cas span around in a circle, unaware of the volume of his voice. ‘Such impossible standards,’ he repeated. ‘You doom yourself to fail, and when you do, you sabotage your relationships because you feel like you don’t deserve them.’

Dean was too shocked to speak, frozen by the emotions crossing Cas’s face in quick succession, as though his heart was breaking all over again.

‘I can’t believe, after all this time, you haven’t learned anything.’

‘That’s not - I mean, you…’ Dean trailed off, unable to think of anything to say.

‘I loved you, you know,’ Cas said, tears swimming in his eyes, but refusing to look away from Dean. ‘You never needed to earn anything from me, and all I ever wanted was for you to realise that. It appears you still haven’t.’

‘Cas-’

Just then, Charlie burst out of the cafeteria. She saw both of their expressions, and scowled at Dean. ‘What did you do?’ she said. Then she spotted Cas’s hand and grabbed it. ‘Is this a _bite mark?_ Did you _bite_ him?’

‘ _What?_ No, of course not. Why would I bite him?’

Charlie just gave him a disgusted look.

Cas wiped his eyes. ‘I need a drink.’ He walked away from both of them and shoved the cafeteria door open, Charlie close at his heels.

Dean watched them walk away, rooted to the spot, unable to comprehend how he possibly could have ruined this, Cas’s voice ringing in his ears. The noise from the cafeteria still seemed so far away and muffled, even as he walked back into the room to find Sam.

‘Have you been in the bathroom this whole time?’ Sam asked.

‘Uh yeah, I had one of those burritos for lunch.’

Sam tutted. ‘How many times have I told you not to eat Mexican food from random gas stations in the middle of nowhere?’

‘Whatever, Sam.’

Sam squinted at him, noticing the deflated tone to Dean’s answer, but decided not to question it.

Dean swept the room until his eyes found Cas, standing in a corner with Charlie. She was saying something, gesturing furiously, but Cas was ignoring her in favour of staring into his wine glass. He was swirling his wine around, his shoulders slumped, defeated, and only vaguely nodding at whatever Charlie was saying. Then he drained the entire glass in one go, and looked to the bar for more. He caught Dean’s eye, and quickly looked away, but not before Dean saw the clear disappointment all over his face.

Dean grabbed another whiskey for himself, then moved away from the bar, so that Cas would have space to get a drink if he wanted one. He pretended to be oblivious to the stares and dirty looks coming his way.

Cas had always been more popular with these people than Dean, no matter how much he considered himself a weird nerd. He was handsome, smart, kind, charming if a little awkward. Why wouldn’t they all prefer Cas over the delinquent, almost drop-out, who spent most of his time loitering around the bicycle racks. It had surprised everyone, including himself, when he had actually managed to graduate, in no small part thanks to Cas. But then, Cas had been the only person, except maybe Sam, able to see straight through all of his bullshit, even from the day they met.

For whatever reason, the school had made Cas a hall monitor on the one day Dean had decided to skip detention. He was certain that there was nothing to be learned by sitting in the stuffy math classroom that supposedly had air-condition, but the unit merely rattled uselessly.

Cas had taken one look at him in the hallway, raised an eyebrow and said, ‘Shouldn’t you be in detention?’

‘That’s a good question,’ Dean had said cockily. ‘A question of life, really. Who’s to say who should be where? Do we make our own decisions, or are we at the will of a higher being?’

Cas’s expression hadn’t changed, he’d just pointed back down the hallway. ‘Let’s go.’

And though every instinct told him to just ignore Cas, the spark and slight air of authority that had always existed within Cas jumped out, bending Dean to his will. For the first time in years, someone had caught Dean’s attention, and his hold over Dean had never loosened.

Dean glanced over again and saw that people were now taking turns going up to Cas, asking if he was okay. Cas looked just as annoyed by it as Dean felt, and pushed past most of them to get to the bar.

Dean sipped his whiskey, and thought about what Cas had said to him. Shouted, more like. As usual, Cas cut right to the bone, and rooted around until he’d unearthed the core of the issue. He knew about his problem with voicing his own needs, Sam had roasted him enough for it by now, but he hadn’t even considered the possibility that Cas knew about it. He realised that he really should have, but he’d never thought of himself as particularly smart anyway.

So, he retreated to a shadowy corner, leaving Sam to awkwardly socialise with people he didn’t know, and running interference on Charlie, who looked as if she wanted to murder Dean with her bare hands, not that Dean could blame her. He tried to examine himself. What did he want? What did he feel? The answer was a resounding echo of _Cas_ in his mind. But did he deserve a second chance? Dean shook his head at that. Cas told him that wasn’t the point, so what was? He circled back to his own wants, and still only felt _Cas._ That much was solid. So, what could he do about it? Cas glanced at him from the bar, sipping on another glass of wine. It was his third, so would be his last of the night.

Dean was beginning to feel his own drink, and the ice cubes clinked in his glass. He looked around the room for inspiration. He wanted Cas. That much he knew. It was time to be selfish, and show Cas that he could be. His eyes landed on the stage, the microphone, and the band members preparing for a break. Maybe it was the alcohol blurring his brain, or how he felt for Cas, or perhaps a mixture of both that propelled him forward, but he downed the rest of the whiskey, and climbed up on the stage.

‘Dean, get down,’ Sam hissed from the bottom of the steps.

Dean just passed him the glass, and turned to the band, pointing at a guitar on a stand. ‘Hey, can I borrow that?’ he asked.

The guy whose guitar it was shrugged. ‘Can you play?’

‘Sure.’

‘Knock yourself out, man.’

Dean grinned and grabbed the guitar, ducking his head through the strap, and tweaking the tuning. He gave it a couple of test strums, then, satisfied, approached the microphone. He cleared his throat, catching everyone’s attention. His stomach flipped underneath all the eyes in the room, but it was too late to turn back now.

‘Hey, everyone,’ he said, with a quick smile. ‘This is for… well, I guess you all know who it’s for, huh? I’ll just get on with it.’

He played the first few notes of Cas’s favourite song, his fingers moving up and down the neck, confident in where they were going. Dean had always loved playing this song, even if it wasn’t his personal favourite, and still played it regularly. He quickly sought out Cas, to check his expression. Despite everything that had happened between them, Cas was still a sap for romance, and Dean was pleased to see the bitterness melting. He leaned forward, closer to the microphone, and began to sing.

' _Someone's always comin' around here, trailin' some new kill,'_ he sang, ignoring the faces of everyone but Cas, and focusing on the song. ' _Says, "I've seen your picture on a hundred dollar bill".'_

Cas warily stepped towards the stage, listening to Dean sing. Charlie tried to hold him back, but he simply brushed her away, so she went and stood by Sam instead.

'Can't believe he knows Cas’s favourite song,' Charlie commented.

'Wait, this is _Cas's_ favourite song?' Sam said.

'Yeah?'

Sam groaned and rubbed his face. 'We're all so stupid.'

'Excuse me?'

'Has Cas had any relationships since they broke up?'

'Nothing long term. Why?'

'Yeah, neither has Dean,' Sam said in a disbelieving voice.

'Where are you going with this, Sam?'

'They never got over it. Neither of them.' Sam took a deep breath. 'Dean plays that song all the time. I thought it was _his_ favourite.'

'Oh man, this is way deeper than I thought.'

Dean was still singing, coming to the end of the song.

'Do you think there's one person for everyone?' Sam asked Charlie.

'Nah,' she snorted. 'What about you?'

Sam nodded thoughtfully. 'I don't know. Maybe they're it.'

Cas was now leaning on the edge of the stage gazing up at Dean, and Dean down at him.

‘ _No one’s gonna fool around with us. No one’s gonna fool around with us,’_ Dean crooned. ‘ _So glad to meet you, Angeles…’_ Dean played the last few notes of the song, letting them linger, then slowly fade.

There was a smattering of applause as Dean took off the guitar, and handed it back to the band. Then he approached the microphone. ‘What’s up everybody, I’m Dean, and I’m here to ruin your night,’ he said nervously. ‘Now I just want to tell y’all a little bit about myself.’ He looked down at Cas, who was still staring at him, and smiled. ‘I’m an Aquarius, I love long walks on the beach, and I’m probably the last person who should be up here doing this, but what the hell, you only live once, right?’

Cas began to walk towards the steps of the stage, not taking his eyes off Dean.

‘There are a few things I want,’ Dean continued. ‘I want to drive all the way down the East Coast. I want to eat as many terrible burgers as I possibly can on the way. I want to visit every shitty landmark I can find, up to and including the world’s largest ball of twine. I want to camp out at Yellowstone.’

Cas hesitated at the bottom of the steps.

‘There are a few things I need as well,’ Dean said, holding his hand out to Cas. ‘I need a new bulb for my tail light. I need a haircut.’

Cas took Dean’s hand and stepped up onto the stage.

‘I definitely need Sam to drive me back to the motel tonight, ‘cause I have had _way_ too much to drink.’

Cas snorted softly, and didn’t let go of Dean’s hand once he was onstage.

‘And I-’ Dean cut himself off, but Cas’s hand gently squeezing his helped his confidence. ‘I need - I need you to give me another chance.’

There was a murmur around the room, and someone whooped.

Dean took a deep breath. ‘I think about you…’ he said, still talking into the microphone. ‘I think about you a lot.’

‘I think about you too,’ Cas murmured, away from the microphone.

Encouraged, Dean smiled. ‘What do you say, Cas? Will you let me take you to dinner?’

Cas nodded. 'All right.'

Dean's heart soared, and he nearly dropped the microphone. 'Wow. Okay,' he grinned. He cleared his throat again, addressing all the people staring at them. 'All right, everybody, back to your regularly scheduled programming.'

'Smooth, dude,' one of the band members called.

'Thanks, man,' Dean said with a thumbs up, leading Cas down the steps.

They were immediately confronted by Charlie, with her arms folded.

'Charlie-'

'Shut up,' she said. 'I won't let you do this. You can't fool me, and I-'

'Enough,' Cas interrupted. 'This is my choice.'

Charlie still didn't look convinced, but unfolded her arms. 'If you ever hurt him again-'

'Never.'

'It better stay like that, or I'm coming right for your ass, Winchester.'

'I wouldn't have it any other way.'

Charlie nodded stiffly. 'Fine, then.'

'I don't need your permission,' said Cas.

'Hey, she's just looking out for you,' Dean said gently.

'Yeah, I am,' she said fiercely. 'I got my eye on you.' She gave Dean one last glare, then left them to it.

Dean watched her go, then leaned closer to Cas. 'You wanna dance?' he asked.

Cas smiled. 'That would be nice.'

Dean pulled him into the crowd of people. Some glanced their way, but with nothing more to hold their attention, they soon went back to talking in their groups.

Dean took Cas’s waist, and the people ignoring them made them feel strangely alone, which Dean was grateful for.

Neither of them spoke for a moment.

'I loved you too, you know,' Dean murmured.

'I know you did,' Cas said sincerely, resting his hands on Dean's shoulders.

Dean swayed with him, then leaned in, kissing him softly.

Cas had turned pink when he pulled away.

'Was - was that okay?' asked Dean, worried that he'd gone too far.

'It's fine,' Cas smiled.

'I could… maybe drive up to Chicago? We can do stuff when you're not busy.'

Cas chuckled. 'Do you have anything more specific than "stuff" in mind?'

'I've never been much of a forward thinker. Maybe we just wing it for now?'

'Perhaps I'm just better at the specifics,' Cas teased.

'Oh yeah, you're super specific,' Dean laughed.

Cas hugged Dean close, laying his head in the crook of Dean's neck.

Dean breathed deeply. He still smelled like Cas, albeit now with a faint scent of hand sanitiser and wine. 'Where are you staying tonight?'

'Charlie and I have a hotel room.'

'Maybe you switch with Sam and stay with me tonight.'

'Uh - well-' Cas cleared his throat and pulled away slightly, embarrassed. 'I - I couldn't - I mean-'

Dean laughed as he realised what Cas was saying. 'Third glass of wine, so you're getting sleepy, right?'

'Yes.' Cas admitted.

'You're such a lightweight.' Dean lightly spun him around. 'I kinda just want you there… Is that okay?'

Cas nodded. 'All right, I'll come.'

Dean grinned. 'Awesome.' He was struck by Cas’s bright blue eyes again, boring into him, and doubt itched the back of his head. 'You think I can do this?'

'I've always believed in you,' Cas murmured, pressing his forehead to Dean's. 'Do you think you can believe in yourself this time?'

Dean thought about it. 'I'm not the same person I was,' he told Cas. 'I can do it.'

Cas smiled widely and flung his arms around Dean's neck, kissing him deeply, though a little sloppily. 'I'm glad,' Cas said, once he was done, then he blinked and rubbed his eyes, losing focus. 'I think it's hitting me,' he said, holding onto Dean for balance.

'Yeah, I'd say so,' Dean laughed. 'How about, one more song and then we go back to our room?'

'I like the sound of that.' Cas tripped on his own feet, but Dean held him up.

'You good?' Dean laughed.

'Yes.'

Cas held him tightly, and Dean caught Sam staring at them from the side of the room.

Sam rolled his eyes and Dean just shrugged.

The band moved onto their next song, and played a very familiar tune.

'Oh, _Journey,_ really?' Dean frowned.

Cas snorted. 'Do you think you can come to one of these things and not hear that song?'

'Yeah, you're right. Let's not come to these again.'

'I'm happy we did this time. I didn't think you would.'

'I didn't think you would either.' Dean enveloped Cas in his arms, mostly to feel Cas against his chest, but also to keep Cas on his feet.

For that moment, everything was perfect, and Dean almost hoped the song would go on forever. He would put up with _Journey_ as long as he had Cas with him. The song came to an end, and Dean gave Cas one more kiss. 'Let's go get you to bed.'

He beckoned to Sam and Charlie, and the four of them left back through the reception, ignoring the stares and whispers as they went.

All Dean felt was Cas’s head buried in his shoulder. They both fell asleep in the back of the car, soothed by the movement as Sam drove, and by each others' presence, touching familiarity, ridding themselves of the deep longing they'd never been able to shake off.

Reunited at last.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back everyone! Thanks to VegasGranny and liesje_86 for the comments!  
> Well, I hope that was some tasty cheese for you all lol. Thanks for reading, and I'm gonna go try and tackle Heart Sense again. Not sure why I'm having such a block with it, but let's see what we can do. For real, I'm taking suggestions if anyone's got any.
> 
> See you again soon!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone, turns out I could only last three whole days without writing, so here I am with whatever this is lol. Hope you enjoy it, since I'm still kinda stuck on Heart Sense. Only gonna be a short one, just for a bit of fun.


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